Four's Divergent
by aminie
Summary: My take on Divergent from Tobias' point of view *POV*: my intention is to stay as close as possible to the source material and to go through the story chapter by chapter following the original timeline. Copyright Veronica Roth for all source material.
1. Chapter 1

Today is the morning of the aptitude tests. Two years ago, I was seating in the kitchen, nervously staring at my breakfast, wondering what my results would be like. I had no idea what my tests results would be, but it did not really matter at the time. I knew this was my last day in Abnegation.

As much as I couldn't wait for the ceremony to come, I was angry at Marcus. Actually, angry could not even cover just a bit of what I felt. If not for him, I would have stayed in Abnegation, and I would have been happy. Of that, I am as sure today as I was two years ago. But I had to leave. To protect myself. How funny is that? Someone is convinced he belongs into Abnegation and quits that faction to save his _own_ neck. To _flee_ his father. Selfishness and cowardice. I might be as angry with myself now as I was with Marcus on that morning. I am as worthless of Dauntless as I would have been of Abnegation.

The aptitude test is supposed to let you know which faction you have an aptitude for. What a joke. But I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been any good anywhere else. Amity? I am too angry for that. Candor? I have too many secrets to even think about it. Erudite? They are too hungry for power for my taste. What does that make me?

"A Divergent," I mutter.

I try to push those thoughts away. They are not helping me right now, and I need to get ready. Tomorrow, new initiates will arrive at the compound, and I will be in charge of some of them. I'll get back to those thoughts after the training is done, and then, perhaps, I'll join the factionless. At least there I won't feel like I am a fraud.

Someone knocks on the door of my apartment. It's one of the assistant of the leaders, handing me a piece of paper.

I grunt. Max again. I toss the paper without even looking at it. Max has been bugging me for two years now.

My choice was clear when I graduated, and it is still the same. Power is… Damn it. Why do I always have to think about _him_.

But I know why. I have seen what power did to a man. I have seen my father grow from bad to worse as his place into our government grew bigger. Self-absorbed, manipulative, secretive, arrogant… I do not want to become so blind by power… I do not want to be a monster.

Like _him_.

I also do not want to have anything to do with the brutal leaders of our faction. My current job as an initiate instruction is technically neutral enough. The leaders set the tone for the initiations, and I work on a program within that frame.

Technically is the word that matters here. Eric, the leader most involved with initiations, is so violent that I often have to intervene to make sure nobody will get killed… too easily. And as Eric, a leader, hates me, it makes for a difficult situation. If I had accepted offers to become a leader, I would be able to defend myself better. And probably to protect the initiates better. But I would also have been the only moderate in a government full of people with a reckless, and violent notion of bravery. I would have spent my days arguing, and I would have soon found myself at the bottom of the Chasm. I do not believe the other leaders would have looked so kindly at me if they new what I really thought of their ideas.

No, I am more useful with this job, even though I have less latitude.

_This_ job. Who am I kidding, I am only doing this a small part of the year, the rest of the time, I am overlooking security. And _that_ job is useful for sure. But it's helpful for me and no one else. It's my emergency exit when the time comes. Selfish and coward.

I am a mess.

* * *

Only after my shower do I feel slightly more human. I do not usually allow myself this kind of thoughts, but last year was the same. This time of the year brings me back two years ago, when Marcus was still in my life. I hate it that he has that much power on me after all this time.

I breathe in and out until I push the anger away, and my usual resolve replaces it. I know I look colder when I am that way, but here, nobody cares. In Abnegation, my father would probably have beaten me for it, saying I ought to look kinder and more approachable. In Dauntless, people simply think I look fierce and respect me for it. It makes my life a lot easier.

I need to go to the Control Room. Since I am going to be training initiates for a while, someone else is going to be in charge of the computers, and I have to make sure that person knows what he's doing. I am crossing my fingers for an Erudite transfer. Faction rules state that we should leave all traces of our old factions behind, but I know better. It's impossible to completely forget what you have been taught for sixteen years of your life.

In the case of the computers, someone who knows what he is doing, or even someone who learns fast enough, would be greatly appreciated. Last year, my substitute was a Dauntless born who had only ever used a computer to look security camera. Apparently, she was really good at it, and someone higher up thought that was enough to overlook the computers taking care of security. It was a disaster. I ended up spending half of my planned sleep hours teaching her how to actually use the computers, and yet she managed to delete a whole week of security footage. Thankfully, nothing actually happened during that time frame. I'd still rather prefer not to repeat the experience this year.

I go directly to the Control Room, skipping breakfast, too anxious to see the new candidate to the job. I cannot believe how difficult if would have been to involve me in the process. Obviously, the person in charge of the task must not be qualified enough to chose his substitute.

As I walk into the room, I let out a sigh of relief. Sandra sits on one of the chairs in front of me. She is Dauntless born, but she is more than I could have hoped for. Sandra's usual job is to overlook the resources the Dauntless have access to. Food, clothing, weapons, lodging… she is responsible of the inventory, and makes sure everything is well managed. Most of her work depends on computers.

I smile at her.

"Yep," she says. "I figured after last year you would appreciate someone who has actually _touched_ a computer before, so I volunteered for the job. I only did yesterday though, I hope you weren't too stressed out!"

"You have no idea," I laugh. "Thanks though, I guess someone had to take over your own job while you're here."

"Don't worry," she sniggered. "Finding someone for mine wasn't that hard. Everyone wants to know the details of what we have. Go figure!" She winks at me. "And I am not too worried, Mike knows if he screws up he'll end up regretting it. 'Cause I won't be only one after his life if half our stock of cake goes missing!"

I like Sandra. She is always enthusiastic, no matter what the task is. She enjoys life and it shows. She is exactly what I needed this morning.

* * *

_Please, keep in mind three things. _

_First, English is not my maternal language, and I am using this story to improve it. _

_Second, THIS is my very first attempt at fanfiction or even fiction, so please, do not be too harsh. I have just popped this chapter in an hour and a half while I was slightly bored. _

_Finally, I know a lot of people have attempted the same thing. Honestly, after reading a few pages of them, some better than other, I realised I was often frustrated because Four was not thinking exactly what I wanted him to think... So I figured I'd better stop reading and write it for myself. (Not saying there aren't some great Four POV out there, just saying I wanted to write MY Four before I was influenced by someone else!) So I am not aiming for anything original, just aiming for loads of Four-yumminess.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

I meet Lauren for lunch, and we wait for Eric to join us. I'd rather be alone with Lauren, but since he is the leader in charge of initiations, there is not much I can do to eject him from the planning stages. We need to go over the schedule one more time, and make sure she and I are both on the same line for the first part of the training.

Since she's taking care of the Dauntless born, and I of the transfers, her kids will for the most part be in a better physical condition than mine. It also means they will probably know how to fight better, and some of them will already know how to use weapons. Since we want both groups to be evaluated on the same grounds we can't afford to have too many differences in the instruction they are given. Lauren and I have had a bit of divergence on that matter.

"Oh, come on!" She says laughing. "How am I supposed to teach to a bunch of kids if they are bored to death? I can't just stand them and tell them to do stuff they have been doing since they were kids. How will we look?"

Of course Eric was agreeing with her, though not for the same reasons.

"Four," he said, looking at me with a threat in his eyes, "we are Dauntless. If anyone from any faction could join us, what would that make of us? There will be no prior physical training. They will handle the initiation, and grow muscles if they are made for Dauntless. If not, well too bad for them, they should have chosen Amity."

There was no way out of that argument with Eric so firmly against me. Lauren was looking apologetic, she knew we could have settled the matter differently if Eric hadn't been there. The only gain I was able to make during that meeting, with the content of the technical training. That part at least was to be a basic training, and Lauren agreed that if that was the case she would not be showing her initiations more than I would.

"I guess they can handle a little boredom," she sighed. "After all I don't want your initiates to have an easy time and get better marks than mine because your training was easier on them!"

Lauren loves scaring the hell out of new recruits. Hell, I do too. But she is also taking this as a competition. And since her part of the deal includes the children with the biggest odds of performing well, she is as decided as ever to beat me in the ranking. We both know this isn't totally true, Eric and I are the perfect example of it. Two transfers being ranked first and second. But I am not about to remind it to her. It won't be in the interest of my initiates if she gets even more desperate.

Eric gets to the Dining Hall a few minutes late. He looks preoccupied, but happy.

"Jeanine Matthews from Erudite has surprised us with an impromptu visit, I have to get upstairs for a leader meeting. Enjoy yourselves without me." He then looks at me and adds, "I can't wait to hear what the outcome of your little chat will be."

Translation: I will know it if you try to change my directives, and you will regret it. He knows that I understand, and I know that I wouldn't have needed that little reminder to know it.

"Okay," Lauren says. "See you later Eric!"

While he leaves, I breathe deeply. Lauren is watching me with a grin. " He sure loves you doesn't he? One would think after two years things would change, right. "

I stare at her, not committing to any kind of reaction.

"Anyway, how was your morning? Better than last year?"

"Yeah, I got lucky. They sent me Sandra from resources. Or rather she sent herself." I press my hand to the base of my neck to release some of the tension. "She's rather good with computer so I managed to train her pretty efficiently during the morning. I'll probably need to visit her tomorrow to make sure everything is fine, but I am not worried."

"That's good to hear! We're lucky none of the initiates tried to kill each other last year."

"You don't say. So, about the training sessions, I wanted to talk to you about the combat stage…"

Conversation with Lauren is easy, even when we don't agree, and I am glad Eric is not there. I say everything I would have liked since we have the guidelines and I have Eric on my back, but it is still easier to make sure every stage is as fair as it can be when Eric is not there. Eric does not care about fair, and he loves proving he has power on me. Once Lauren and I have agreed on everything, it will be hard for him to make us change the program unless we have stepped outside of the guidelines.

Lauren was in the same initiate class as I was, but she is Dauntless born, so most of our classes were given separately. It is still of use though when we try to decide some of our plan of action. It would have been harder with someone having been trained a few years back since so many things have changed in Dauntless since then. I am guessing I would have probably agreed more with the old ways, but the new ones make complying to Eric's rules easier at least. And Lauren and I both know the limits we should stick to. She is not more inclined than I am to risk the initiates lives.

I am also guessing she resents the stress she had when she was an initiate herself. In most faction, except perhaps in Erudite, you stand a pretty good chance at staying in your faction if you decide this is what you want to do. In Dauntless, even when she decided to stay, she risked being thrown out and loosing all her family. Lauren is hard, but she is not heartless, nor insensitive.

Two or tree hours later, we are interrupted but Shauna and Zeke who rush loudly through the Dining Hall.

"Four!" they yell together. "Four!"

"Hey," Zeke says. "You gotta see this!" He hands me a piece of paper. Glancing at it, I see it was issued by Jeanine Matthews. There is a picture of Marcus on the side. My eyes go up to Zeke. The Erudite have been publishing reports against Abnegation for months now, and Marcus, as the most important figure of Government and of Abnegation has been mentioned in most of them.

"This one is quite different from the other ones," he says. "Shauna and I thought you might be interested… they say in there that Marcus' son transferred to Dauntless because he was physically abused by his father."

* * *

_It does not specifically say anywhere that Lauren was in Tobias' class, BUT what she says, is this, before showing her fear landscape to the new initiates: "Two years ago, I was afraid of...". In my opinion, there is no reason for her to pick her fear landscape from two years ago except if it is her original one from her final exam. Therefore, I decided to make her one of Tobias' classmates._

_A review would be really appreciate as I would like to know if people like the way I am doing this. :)  
_


	3. Chapter 3

"This one is quite different from the other ones. Shauna and I thought you might be interested… they say in there that Marcus' son transferred to Dauntless because he was physically abused by his father."

I hear what he just said resonate in my head.

I freeze.

"Why do you…" I begin.

"Well," Zeke interrupts me, "there aren't that many Abnegation transfers to Dauntless, and while the report doesn't mention a year, we were wondering if you…" he looks uneasy.

"… if you perhaps knew who this was? Or if it was actually…" Shauna adds.

"No." I cut quickly. Too quickly. Of course they suspect. They know perfectly well I was Abnegation. They were with me when I came to the compound all dressed in grey. They're probably only trying to be nice about it.

"No." I retaliate, more calmly, but still firmly, crossing my fingers they will not ask more questions. I could have tried to lie, saying I did not know who could possibly that Abnegation born Dauntless. Or I could have told them I was Marcus' son, but what the report said wasn't true. Or I could have told them all the truth.

Or I couldn't have.

There is no way of telling how much they know about where I come from. When I left, Marcus was already important enough for some reports to surface about "my betrayal". But since it was only a bit shocking at the time, I know most people either never took the time to think about it seriously, or forgot about it. Either way, nobody cared enough in Dauntless to confront me about it. There is some good after all in the rule that states you leave you old faction, and your family when you transfer. I have no indication of how much my fellow initiates remember of these days today. My privacy is important, but I do not want to lie to them on something when they might already know some part of the truth.

There is also no way I could have actually said that Marcus was not responsible for what he did to me. He beat me enough for me to become half broken, and I will not cover for him. I will not be the one to make him look clean. I do not owe him a thing, and I owe myself not to bend on that principle. He is a monster, and if at least a few people will believe it after reading the report, I will not be the one to change that. He deserves it.

And finally, there is no way I could openly admit of being beaten up by my father. Admit to having fled Abnegation to save my neck in Dauntless. These might be my friends, but they are Dauntless, and I do not want them to see me as weak. Even if I could bring myself to say out loud that I am weak, and was a coward for becoming a Dauntless, which I can't. I also do not want them to look at me with pity in their eyes. Having to live with the memories of my past on my own is enough. I do not need to live with the memories in the eyes of my friends as well.

Lauren, Shauna, and Zeke all stare at me. They are not sure what part of the story to believe. Not sure if I am Marcus' son, or if maybe he was someone I knew. Not even sure if Marcus is really guilty of what the report say. But they know something disturbs me, and they know enough so that they don't ask any more questions.

Zeke puts the paper on the table in front of me and says " We'll come and pick you up later, we're having a party before the new initiates begin their training. You're coming too Lauren, of course."

"I better get going then," replies Lauren. "I wanted to do a few things before tomorrow. See you later, Four."

They are all gone. I pick up my things on the table, and start to walk toward my apartment. I need to pull myself together. I am at the crossing of two narrows corridors when I bump into him. He stares at me, and smiles.

"I hope you had a great afternoon, _Four_?" He does not wait for me to reply, he is already going in the opposite direction.

He _knows_. Eric knows who I am. Obviously being from Erudite he must have paid closer attention to the reports than most people in Dauntless. And obviously, hating me as he is, he must have tried to find everything he possibly could about me. Just in case it would be useful. I am guessing at the time he didn't say anything because he didn't wanted me to have any more attention than I already did. After all, being the son of the most powerful government official was bound to drag some attention to me. At least this is what I think would have made him keep quiet at the time… but now, I have no idea what could possibly make him keep quiet, and I am even afraid to admit how terrified that makes me.

I am in such a state when I get in my apartment that I do not even remember how I got there. I sit down at my desk at start to read, because I know that in order to calm myself down, I will need to know exactly what's inside the report.

My name is in there, but nobody will associate that directly to me since even before everyone called me Four I told them my name was something else. And like Zeke said, no year is mentioned, thank God.

But then I pause.

They are right about my father beating me up… but how could they possibly be? I have never told this to anyone. Anyone. And I know perfectly well it's impossible Marcus has told anyone. The only people who would know this are the ones who have seen my fear landscape. But only the leaders of Dauntless have ever witnessed my fear landscape. It does not make sense. Why would someone from the higher spheres report this kind of information to the leaders of Erudite? Factions normally keep to themselves. Protect each other.

Am I being watched? And why would I be watched? Because I am Divergent? But not, I am almost certain they haven't figured that out yet. I was too careful. Then can it really be because I am Marcus' son?

Then I remember something I have seen a few days ago, and I have to know what it is. I check my watch, it's past five o'clock. Sandra will probably be done for the day. Good.

I rush to the control room, trying to look as normal as possible, and probably failing miserably. But my curiosity is too high, I have no time to stop and make myself look better.

Once inside the control room, I am relieved to see I was right and the place is empty. I click until I find what I was looking for: a bunch of secure files coming from Erudite. It takes me a little while to figure out how to crack them, but I manage it.

"Strange…" I whisper. What I am reading leaves me perplex enough for me to momentarily forget why I came here in the first place. All the files I have in front of my eyes make no sense at all if you put them together since they are coming from Erudite. Unless…

Unless Erudite is planning on going to war with Abnegation and using Dauntless forces to achieve their ends.

The shock I feel awakens me. I try to read as much of the information as I possibly can, but I know someone could come inside at any moment. If someone did come in and knew enough to understand what I was looking at, my life probably wouldn't be worth much. So I rush through the files before I erase as much as possible all traces of my presence.

On my way back, I try desperately to find what I could do with that information. Who can I warn in order to put a stop to those plans? If I am right, I can't go to our leaders, because they are behind the plans. I also can't warn Abnegation. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, the Abnegation would not be able to do anything with this information. They are not armed, and even though they are in charge of the government, they do not have enough leverage to change things even if they wanted to. And there is the fact that if I am right, I am probably already watched. And now I know it must be because I am Marcus' son.

The conclusion dawns on me. I can't do anything with what I know to stop the outcome. I will simply have to be extremely cautious, and on the lookout for new information. Then, perhaps, in time, I will be able to use it to prevent war.

* * *

_Thanks to those who have reviewed my story so far, I really appreciate it! Please keep them coming!_

_I know this chapter touches some grey areas of the series, and I hope you liked how I worked with them!_


	4. Chapter 4

Shauna knocks on my door loudly at 8 o'clock. She does not wait for me to open the door and steps inside my apartment.

"Come on boy! We're all ready to PAAAARTY!" It clearly looks like she has already started the party some time ago even though it's still early. She's wearing a black dress, which is hugging at all the right places of her body. I don't understand how she manages to look so feminine and yet so deadly. But she really does.

My hair is still dripping from the shower. "Just give a moment," I tell her. "I need to get dressed."

"Suuure, Four! But you look good anyway, don't worry!"

Like I would really worry about the way I look after the day I have had.

After two years in Dauntless I am still not comfortable showing skin in front of people, and being half dressed in front of Shauna certainly qualifies. I grab a black t-shirt and rush to the bathroom to get dressed and escape Shauna's glare.

When I come back she has a bottle ready in her hands and gestures me to get it.

"You're a little late on the drinking wagon. You've got some catching up to do! Come on!"

I take the bottle and we go down to the Pit. As much as I miss Abnegation from time to time, I have to admit that I really like he Pit. I also appreciate how hard the Dauntless party. Especially on a day like this one, it is great to let go of the steam and simply forget about everything but the present moment. I definitely want to forget, at least temporarily, about the Eric, the report, and the plans I have discovered.

"Shauna! Four! Over here! I was just telling Lauren she better make sure my brother ends up being ranked first. She doesn't seem to be impressed by my threats though. I think I am losing my touch." Zeke, carrying Lauren over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, tries to dodge her hits and bites while she is furiously trying to get down. They are both laughing even more loudly than usual. Obviously, they started to drink with Shauna earlier.

"This idiot thinks that's the way of changing my mind into favoring his brother! Like I'm about to be intimidated! Seriously it's no wonder he is not Erudite!" She swings her legs and dislodges herself from his grip and pins him on the ground in one swift motion.

"Let's hope Uriah is more skilled than you are. He's going to be in trouble if he's as easy to tackle down as that! Not going to last long for sure!" She is grinning at me. "Now that I am thinking about it Four I think I'll take back what I said about agreeing with you on stayi g fairly basic in the stuff. The more I think about it, the more I think we might take this like Eric would want us to!" She's now showing her teeth to both Shauna and Zeke.

"Hey! I haven't said a word yet! Do NOT involve Lynn in Zeke's stories!"

"I'm not a psycho anyway, don't worry! And I wouldn't be surprised if Uriah ended up doing and lot better than his big brother. That kid is fierce, which is really surprising considering he's related to this thing here. But we all know where you're coming from might be very misleading, right Four?"

They all laugh. I am always the target of this kind of joke. As much as they all like me I know there will always be that small part of them who wish they had done better than I did. Nobody expected an Abnegation to rank first, and when I did, it made the disappointment of not being first stronger. But they are my friends and they have gotten over it, unlike Eric. Making jokes about it is their way of coping with it, and I really cannot hold them responsible for feeling as they did. After all, the rankings really have a big impact on a Dauntless' life.

"Or maybe Uriah's dream has always been to join Amity and become an Amity prodigy." I add to the conversation as casually as possible.

"Yeah, sure, he'd look great with that snake of his behind his ear as an Amity." Zeke retorts.

"I am sure he could come up with some really peaceful meaning for a snake... Or not. Yeah, definitively not Amity material, that Uriah. And since Lynn is about as sweet as a blossom, I guess there aren't too many risks of her choosing Amity tomorrow either." Lauren and I both agree that there's about no chance Uriah and Lynn will decide to transfer into another faction.

As usual, Zeke and Shauna do most of the talking while I step back and enjoy their conversation. They are hilarious to watch, constantly nagging each other. I wonder if they realize there is something special going on between them. Or maybe they do know, and I am the one who don't. I can't blame them for keeping something from me though. I am the one who hardly ever gives anything away about himself. We've known each other for two years, and yet they don't really know me. They have no notion of my past, which I intend to keep that way, and who I currently am is so linked with my past that I can't afford to get too close to anyone.

I am not letting myself linger on those thoughts however as I grab a new bottle and take a long gulp. Tonight is a night for letting go, and just like my friends, I am determined to succeed.

* * *

_I am sorry this chapter is shorter than I intended it to be. I might add to it later on if inspiration comes my way!_  
_And a huge thanks to everyone for the kind words! _


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on! Get up!" Zeke is pounding on my door. At least he has the decency to wait for me to open it, unlike Shauna.

"What time is it?" I ask sleepily while opening the door. My head is pounding, and my throat is dry. I could have done with a few more hours of sleep. And could definitely do with a big glass of water.

"It's around ten, get moving! The Ceremony is only after lunch, but we have to get to the Hub, so if you're planning on taking a shower or eating, you're on a thigh schedule."

"Where are you taking all that energy this morning? Are you sure you've drank the same thing I did?"

"My brother is about to become a Dauntless initiate, that should give you a hint as to why. And yes, we drank the same thing. Not my fault your stiff upbringings made you incapable of processing alcohol properly!"

"Thanks for your faith in me," I smirk at his teasing, "but I'm not going Zeke, you know very well attendance is not mandatory."

"I don't care, and I want you there since Uriah will be up front." He replies sharply.

"Isn't that sweet," I laugh. "But seriously I can't come, I have to make sure everything is ready for when the initiates get here, and I wouldn't be able to come back soon enough for the net and everything to be ready."

That's only part of the reason, of course. Marcus' presence is the main reason I wouldn't attend even if I really had the time. Any other year it might not have been as bad. We might have seen each other briefly, but this year he is hosting the ceremony, and there is no telling how bad or violent my reaction will be when I see him. No, I like Uriah and Lynn, but I wouldn't have come anyway. I know the presence of the family at the Ceremony is a big deal though

The Choosing Ceremony, even though it might not be as stressful to everyone, is still perceived as something big. For the families, because they never truly know if their sixteen years old child will decide to transfer. Even in cases where everyone thought it was obvious the person would stay, there have been surprises. In the cases of the people going through the ceremony themselves, there is two standard issues, the first one, common to almost everyone is that on that single moment where you cut you hand and let your blood drop in a bowl, you are making a decision that will affect the rest of your life in a fundamental way. For some of these young people, the stress might also come from the knowledge you are leaving everything you have known so far behind. Transfers are the ones usually having to deal with this issue.

It would also be possible to add a third source of stress on that day, depending on which faction you are going to pick. Choosing Candor for example might be stressful because no one in their right mind is totally happy to be telling everyone about every little secrets you have ever had. It is bound to create some anxiety for anyone choosing that faction. The people choosing Dauntless though might be the ones in the worst situation. Not only do we have the most physically difficult initiations, but there is a good chance you could end up Factionless, and even a small one that you could die. That's definitely bound to touch some sensitive nerve.

If Zeke wants me to be there with his family, it means he is willing to share some of that burden with me, and in a faction where appearing strong is weighed so high, he is paying me a great compliment. I smile at the thought that even though I am so closed to them, my friends like me that much. They really are some great people, and I am glad to have them around me.

"I am counting on you to come back fast enough to be at the Net when the initiates jump though. I am sure you and Shauna don't want to miss that. You know, just in case Uriah or Lynn surprises us by being the first jumper."

"That's the original plan! So, if you're saying you can't make it to the ceremony, at least meet us down in the Dining Hall, we'll all be there in around forty five minutes. See you there?"

"Sure, as soon as I look like a human being again." I escort Zeke to the door, "See you later!"

I am usually really quick to get ready in the morning, but today might take a little longer, and I am thankful I have some time in front of me. I pour myself a tall glass of water and repeat the process three times. I am not feeling my best, but it's already better. A long cold shower and some medicine might help for the rest.

* * *

When I arrive in the Dining Hall, the room is full with people. Mostly families getting ready to leave for the Hub. I spot Zeke in our usual spot. Almost everyone is there, but I notice Lauren is missing.

"Has anyone thought about waking up Lauren, I ask?" I ask.

"Oh she's already gone," Shauna replies. "She said something about meeting Eric to report about yesterday's meeting you two had. She said he was going to the Choosing Ceremony so she had to catch him before he left."

I had forgotten about that. Lauren could have picked me up earlier if she planned on meeting with Eric, but I suspect she chose to go alone because of my relations with Eric. Not only to spare me, though there might be some of that, she would probably tell me she did it because Eric is easier to deal with when I am not there. She's probably right, and I am grateful I don't have to be there.

"So, Four, you still won't tell us what you and Lauren have planned for us in the training? You know it probably won't change much now if you do since we won't have more time than the other initiates to get ready." Lynn has been bugging me about training for weeks now. As much I would like her to stop, and she will very soon once it all starts, I have to give her credit for her persistence. She might very well have worn some other people out by now. It's a good thing she doesn't know some of the initiation is the same each year. If she knew she would have bothered everyone close to her, and Shauna or Zeke might very well have spill the beans.

"No way." I simply reply.

I am on edge today. Even though the party helped to calm me down, I am not able to ignore everything I have learned. So I am resolving to being my old cool and cold self again.

After a copious brunch, I watch nearly everyone leave for the trains. I make my way through the crowds to go to the control room. One thing I have to do today is making sure everything is in place for when the initiates get here. And since the person in charge of resources is currently sitting in my place in the control room, I think it might be the best place to start. That way I can also make sure she has everything under control too.

"Sandra," I call, while I wait by the door. "Do you have a minute? There's a few things I would like to check with you before I move on today."

"Sure, take a chair. I wondered when you would come. I have double checked yesterday, and the dorms are ready. However, I know you requested fourteen beds in the transfer dorm, but I got a message from Eric telling me to downgrade it to ten. He said your expectations were about right but he doubts everyone will make it to the dorms. He even added that if he was wrong, it would be good to know what would happen anyway. I'm sorry."

I grunt at her words. This is a warning that Eric's madness is still fully working this year, if I ever needed one

* * *

_So, the next chapter will be where Four actually meets Tris for the first time. Yay!_


	6. Chapter 6

I am meeting Lauren half an hour before the planned arrival of the initiates.

"The Ceremony should be over by now, I expect they'll be boarding the train soon." She tells me while we make our way to the net. "I don't think I'll get much surprises with my group, but I 'm really curious to see yours!"

"Hopefully if we get surprises with you group it will be because they decided to transfer —"

"Hopefully transfer?" She interrupts me.

"I mean that I hope any missing kid will be missing because they chose to leave Dauntless, and not because they had _some kind of problem_ along the way." I reply sharply.

"Oh," she blurts. "Yeah, you're right, I hope we don't lose any kids this year. Why do you always have do burst my bubble, Four? We should be excited right now, not brooding."

She's right of course, but I can't help but worrying about the kids. Especially the tranfers. They are usually the most at risk, since they have never dealt with moving trains before. With luck, the worst that will happen is some minor bruises and some people ending up Factionless, which, in my opinion, might not be so bad at all. The real worry comes from the fact that some of them could die as a result of this first part of initiation.

"You're right, of course." I tell her.

It's easy at times like these to feel alien within Dauntless. I was raised to be compassionate in Abnegation. People from Dauntless, though they can be at times, are not that familiar with that notion. It is foreign to them. The same can be said about Erudite and Candor. Which leaves Abnegation and Amity for some compassion, but neither faction is exactly known to produce Dauntless members. So there is no one who could really understand how I feel.

"The sky is getting darker," I remark as we arrive near the platform where the net is located. "I think Max should be up there by now."

As soon as the sun is setting the place where the net is located is completely dark. The building surrounding us is U-shaped, and the last rays of sun are in the opposite direction. Which means it is impossible to see what lies at the bottom of the seven flours if no lights are open.

"Everyone," I call at the small crowd at the foot of the platform. "Make sure that any kind of device emitting light is turned off by now. We don't want the initiates to know what they are jumping into! We should have a few more minutes, but we do not want to be caught off guard!"

I watch the crowd as I few a few people fidgeting with gadgets, and I glance a movement coming our way. Zeke and Shauna are running and waving a few feet away.

"Lauren, Four! We've made it! We've had to run like hell both at the Hub and here but—" Shauna tries to shout, breathless.

"Stay away from the initiates!" Snaps Lauren. "Move inside the crowd, I don't want Lynn or Uriah to see you guys!"

She is right. If they are both here, it is impossible for the initiates to be but a few seconds away from jumping off the roof.

"Fine," they reply grumpily, "After all this trouble we've had to get here on time…" Shauna says.

"I don't care, go!"

They listen to Lauren and go. I glance at the top of the building, and sure enough there's Max silhouette. It looks like he's talking, his arms are moving up and down the way they do when he is explaining something.

"Silence! Now!" I shout not so loudly, be firmly enough for everyone to listen. "At any time now we'll have our first jumper."

The crowd fall silent quickly. Everyone is excited to see who is going to be first. At least I don't have to fight to make them listen to me. Max's silhouette clears the way to the net, and a small one replaces it. Definitely not Uriah. Could be Lynn, but it looks smaller than her. The silhouette does not jump immediately. It fumbles a few seconds, turns around, and the I hear some noise coming down from upstairs. What's happening? Just when I start to wonder if the person on the edge is having seconds thoughts and being booed, it jumps.

There is no yelling and no strange sounds, just the sound of the wind and them a muted sound as she hits the net. She, because it's definitely a girl.

She fumble to get herself straight and regain come kind of notion of her surroundings, and I stretch my hand to help her out. Lauren and few others who came on the platform while I was not paying attention do the same. She grabs mine, and I pull her to her feet while she laughs. I frown. I guess this one is really a Dauntless if she can laugh after a seven stories high fall into the unknown.

She nearly falls out while getting out of the net, but I am quick enough to catch her before she does. She is so small.

"Thank you," she tells me in a voice that surprises me. Considering her size I was expecting a very small and girlish voice. Hers is a bit deeper than most girls.

And then I see it though I did not at first in the darkness. She is wearing grey clothes. She is a transfer from Abnegation. For what seems like a few seconds, I stand there, looking at her. Seeing someone from Abnegation should not have this effect on me, but I can't help but wondering what her story is. She confuses me. She does not look sixteen, she looks younger than that. She is wearing Abnegation colors and her hair is in the right fashion, but somehow, I know she did want to quit Abnegation. Her story is not like mine. I am thinking I might have this feeling because of the scratches on her cheeks, but no I have already seen Abnegation sporting bruises, and yet they never look like that. Even though she looks like a child, something is wrong in the way she looks for Abnegation.

And then I see it. She is wearing a t-shirt hugging close to her body. It is simply a t-shirt, nothing anyone from any other faction would think inappropriate. But when you have lived in Abnegation, it's impossible not to notice how brave you would have to be to be wearing it. And I am the only one in the crowd able to notice. Suddenly, I have no problem believing she was the first to jump.

Lauren snorts behind me. "Can't believe it. A Stiff, the first to jump? Un heard of."

"There's a reason why she left them, Lauren," I was so deep into my thoughts my reply what almost a groan. I look at the girl.

"What's your name?"

"Um…" she starts. There is something in the way she frowns telling me I might now have been the only one looking for a fresh new start when I came here. Well, she most certainly will have something new. I try to force myself to smile a little bit, pushing the dark thoughts away.

"Think about it. You don't get to pick again."

She replies instantly without any kind of hesitation.

"Tris."

Tris. The way she said it, I would have thought it was her real name. I would have thought it if I didn't knew perfectly well Tris is not the kind of names kids get in Abnegation.

"Tris," says Lauren, trying to take the name in. She looks at me, clearly having too much fun with an Abnegation transfer being the first jumper. "Make the announcement, Four."

I turn to look at the crowd below, and I think I can see Shauna and Zeke looking at me, grinning.

"First jumper — Tris!"

While everyone starts to cheer, I hear another sound behind me. Another initiate is jumping, and this one is definitely louder. More people cheer for this second girl.

I look back at the girl. She is looking around, trying to take everything in. I know that feeling. I put a hand on her back, knowing perfectly well she is not used to casual physical contact. I grin.

"Welcome to Dauntless." I say.

* * *

_I am sorry for the small delay in the update. I found myself having more trouble than I would have thought making Lauren speak. I will try to have the next one online sooner than with that one! Promised!_


End file.
